Reading Comprehension

PT139 · S3 · P2 · Q9 A Return to Tintypes

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When Jayne Hinds Bidaut saw her first tintype, she was so struck by its rich creamy tones that she could hardly believe this photographic process had been abandoned.

Topic

A current trend of people resurrecting old-fashioned photographic techniques.

Framework

Highlight Noteworthy / Explain Something Puzzling

Main Point

Since our author is spotlighting this current trend of re-discovering old, janky, idiosyncratic photographic methods, what does she think is most distinctive / impactful / interesting about it?

Her voice enters the most in the last two paragraphs, where she seems to be trying to explain the appeal of these techniques to the people engaging in them.

Those paragraphs sound like an answer to the puzzling question of,

The main point should be a distillation of "current trend + motivation for trend", like:

There is a recent trend of photographers' rediscovering old photographic techniques, because they love the unpredictability / imperfection / intimacy / mystery that they get out of using these techniques.

Summary

P1 - Teaser Example 1 (Bidaut, tintype)

In realtime, we probably assume we're reading a passage about Bidaut or about tintype. It's only when we get to paragraph 3 that we realize the trend being discussed is broader than just Bidaut and Estabrook and broader than just tintype.

P2 - Teaser Example 2 (Estabrook, tintype)

This rinky-dink 4-line paragraph is very unusual in LSAT RC, so we would proceed curiously, like,

If we asked ourselves the $1 million question, , we'd come up with stuff like tintype, photography.

P3 - Introduction of Central Topic

Here we figure out that the 1st two paragraphs were just examples of this broader trend that's happening within photography. We would probably use a framework of Highlight Noteworthy (since it feels like a descriptive article about some topic the author finds compelling), or Illustrate General Claim (because we realize now that paragraphs 1 and 2 were just examples of a broader thing).

P4 - Background on Central Topic

This paragraph's first couple sentences telegraph that we will be informed about why these old techniques that are trending are appealing / why they disappeared in the first place. Turns out the two answers are intertwined. The reason they disappeared is because they produce a lot of irregular, blemished results, and that's precisely what these photographers enjoy about them.

P5 - Artistic Analysis

Here the author gets more explicit about the artistic statement practitioners are able to make by using these old techniques, as well as the artistic experience they get to have in making their art.

Based on the passage, which one of the following most accurately describes an attitude displayed by the author toward artists' uses of old photographic techniques?

doubtful hesitation about the artistic
Too Negative
It seems like the author clearly recognizes the perceived artistic value that the photographers are getting by using these techniques. The author has never tipped her hand that she likes this whole "fake nostalgia" bit. But she clearly understands the aesthetic motivations of the people using these techniques, and she never calls into question their artistic value.
1% picked this
Correct
appreciative understanding of the artists'
Why this is right
Since we thought our Support Window (where the author shows attitude about this group of artists) was the 5th paragraph, it's a lovable sign that the framing idea of the 5th paragraph is saying ... this preoccupation with X offers a clue to the deeper motivations of the artists In other words, "Check it out --- I'm going to tell you what the artists are going for, here. This is the effect / the experience that they're trying to achieve. Their aesthetic goals are to embrace uncertainty, chance imperfections, and unique blemishes, as well as to leave an indelible mark of uniqueness and intimacy on each product." The word "appreciative" might seem overly positive, since she never explicitly seems to be like, "I'm a fan of these new photographs". But this is meant more like when someone says, "Okay, Todd, that's enough. We appreciate your concern that the hot dogs will get cold, but we need to move on with the meeting." It's not appreciate like, "I'm so grateful you did that". It's appreciate like, "I understand where you're coming from". When we say, "I can appreciate what the artist was going for here, even if they didn't fully pull it off", we're saying, "I understand the artist's intent / ambitions".
Skill tested: Author's Attitude · how this choice captures the passage's function is the move to repeat next time.
78% picked this
ironic amusement at the continued
Too Negative
The attitude described here is like "a condescending look into the world of these losers that are futzing around with dumb old stuff". That's ^ overly harsh, but this answer is taking us in that direction. We the reader might be like, "You guys are some straight up photography nerds, painting egg emulsions on your weird-ass steampunk camera equipment", but the author very respectfully lays out the artistic impetus for the trend. There really isn't any snark or mockery we can find that would support "ironic".
13% picked this
enthusiastic endorsement of their implicit
Too Positive
The passage never explicitly discusses any "critique" of modern photographic technology. These artists are clearly wanting something that isn't the modern experience, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they're critiquing modern technology. Given how invisible the critique is, it would be hard us to find the author explicitly providing moments of enthusiastic support. Our author seems pleasantly interested in this undertaking, but we don't get any evidence that she's like, "Wow, count me in!"
5% picked this
whimsical curiosity about the ways
Wrong Emphasis
It's probably fair to say that our author has some whimsical interest in how these processes work. But we can't say that's the best available answer describing our author's attitude toward these artists. First of all, how the old processes work isn't really even about the artists. They're not reinventing the processes. They're just replicating the old techniques, as far as we know. Secondly, if the author were this curious about how the processes work, then we'd probably get more than just 1 sentence in the 3rd paragraph that lists 5 of them. The author spends two bulky paragraphs (the 4th and 5th), discussing the artistic appeal of these techniques to the practitioners, and spends only one measly sentence mentioning 5 processes.
4% picked this

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